


to grant pardon

by kerberastro



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene, Pre-Canon, i adore dani with all of my heart, so how bout that dani exile story?, sort of??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:21:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24793798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kerberastro/pseuds/kerberastro
Summary: Dani is restless, and, in the height of her sixteenth year, she feels rebellious. Maybe her plan is selfish, but any and all consequences be damned, she can’t avoid her persistent, nagging craving for the feeling of placing a hand on the living, beating heart of Sylvain.(a.k.a: I've always wondered how Dani found her way to Amnesty Lodge in the first place.)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	to grant pardon

**Author's Note:**

> we never found out why dani got exiled from sylvain, which is truly a crime, so here is my hot take on what happened to her
> 
> thank u to my friend kestrel (@beverlytoegoldv on tumblr) for beta reading!!! <3

Otherworldly moonlight, honey-toned and shimmering, pierces through clouds and onto the sleepy, unoccupied city center of Sylvain. Down winding cobblestone avenues, shops and businesses are closed, displaying signs that encourage visitors to come again tomorrow. Even the local drinking spots have shut down, having ushered their intoxicated patrons out and en route towards home hours ago. It’s quiet throughout the city as all of the locals turn in for a restful sleep. 

All, save for a small figure who darts nimbly through side streets and clings tightly to the sides of buildings when even the slightest noise makes itself known. A forest green cloak covers the figure from head to toe, but every so often, long golden spindles of hair spill out from under the hood, only to be tucked away almost instantly; Dani cannot afford to be spotted, let alone recognized, tonight. 

Dani is restless, and, in the height of her sixteenth year, she feels rebellious. Maybe her plan is selfish, but any and all consequences be damned, she can’t avoid her persistent, nagging craving for the feeling of placing a hand on the living, beating heart of Sylvain. To feel her warmth, her power, her overwhelming love for the people living on her surface? That is what Dani wanted to feel to its fullest potential. 

As a young Sylvan, she only gets a small allotment of the planet’s light per day. There is only so much to go around, and a younger body can only handle a small amount of light directly from its source at a time. Like a body’s tolerance for alcohol or a pain-killing medicine, it’s widely known one’s tolerance for Sylvain’s light grows with age and even physical stature. To Dani, though, time absorbing the light always feels too brief, always ending too soon, never giving her the vibrant, glowing planetary energy she needs to get her through the day with enough of a spring in her step. 

It takes Dani a while to move through town, but it’s nothing she’s not expecting; she knows these streets like the back of her hand and, more importantly, she knows the best route to get into the castle courtyard unnoticed by the royal guards. Before long, she’s shuffling under a perfectly manicured row of hedges, avoiding the gaze of the guards, who dutifully stand watch outside of the gates. Still unnoticed, she slips through the tall iron bars of the sprawling, imposing fence set around the perimeter of the massive courtyard, and before she knows it, Dani comes face to face with the brilliant orange crystal that juts out from the ground in the center of the courtyard. The heart of Sylvain, a small fraction of her very core, which plunges deep, deep inside the depths of the planet itself. Dani’s glowing eyes, just tiny pinpoints of amber in the darkness, pale in comparison to the thrumming brightness that the heart emits. 

This is way too easy, is what crosses Dani’s mind as she approaches, squinting at the sudden glow after her eyes have gotten used to seeing in the dark. She steps ever closer, her hand outstretched in anticipation, already feeling the warmth of the crystal on her face, and just as she presses her palm up against a smoothly cut facet, she spots movement out of the corner of her eye. 

Dani whips her head around, pulling her hand off the crystal, and is met with another pair of glowing eyes, too low down to match her own. A small figure in a long, silky nightgown stands near the entrance to the courtyard, mouth agape, and Dani swears she stops breathing. 

Alexandra, the young royal interpreter of Sylvain, heir to the throne, stands, staring at Dani with her hand on the crystal, unmoving. In that moment, it’s absolutely undeniable how badly Dani has just screwed up, and it hits her like a ton of bricks. 

It’s silent for a long, long moment - the two of them locking eyes across the yard, neither of them wanting to speak, to make a move, to do anything. Dani looks at her with terror and desperation in her eyes. Maybe Alexandra will see that she means no harm as she silently pleads with this nine year old girl. Dani hopes and prays with all of her might that Alexandra won’t sell her out, because she cannot afford to be caught, or to be imprisoned, or worse. She knows the laws of her city, and she knows the gravity of her situation. This is bad. This is so, so bad. 

Dani can tell that there is a sheer look of panic on Alexandra’s face as she frantically decides her course of action, and for a moment, she sees her falter, her face softening just a bit. In that moment, Dani almost smiles, but the moment is gone when she sees Alexandra’s bottom lip tremble, and she swears she sees her mouthing the word sorry. Dani goes stiff, the blood draining from her face in an instant. 

“Vincent!” Alexandra shouts through what sounds like a horrified sob. Her tiny voice is shrill, and it slices through the silence like a hot knife. “Intruder! Vincent!” 

Dani doesn’t have a single moment to process what’s happening. Almost immediately, a towering, armoured figure with curled goat horns protruding from their helm appears through the gate, flanked by multiple other guards with halberds at the ready, all of them pointing in Dani’s direction. She suddenly feels too small, too helpless, and she looks over towards where Alexandra was standing, but she’s gone. 

Everything that happens next is a blur. She’s grabbed under the arms, her hands are bound, and her feet dangle off the ground. She’s screaming and kicking and crying, trying desperately to explain what she can through choked sobs. A brief conversation with a spectral man and a sleepy looking woman happens, and she doesn’t listen to it, she can’t. 

Then, she’s taken up the main street of town and towards the gardens where the ancient stone archway stands, the portal to another planet, the planet of the evil beings who shattered pieces of Sylvain’s heart. A place that Dani loaths to think about, let alone conceptualize going to, she’s certain that that is exactly where she’s headed, and she knows she won’t be back. 

There’s no goodbye to her friends and family. There’s no collecting her belongings from her home. All she gets is one last look at her city, the place she grew up in, from atop the hill where the archway stands. One last look through teary eyes, before being led to the portal. 

Dani looks up at the goat-headed man, shaking her head, wiping her nose. 

“I’m really sorry, kid.” He says, his voice muffled by his helm. 

Dani just glares through all of her anger and sadness. “Tell my family that I love them,” she says through a set jaw, razor sharp teeth clenched. The goat-headed man just nods, and places a hand on her shoulder as she enters. 

He’s gone when she comes out the other side. 

Everything is gone. 

She emerges in a forest. She knows it’s a forest for certain, but the trees are all different, all wrong. They’re narrow and spiky and they reach up higher than Dani can see, creating a canopy over the forest floor. It’s still night here, and she can see slivers of moonbeams, she thinks. A moon that’s icy and white, almost blue, unlike the one in Sylvain, the one she’d never see again. 

She’s in exile. She’ll never go home again. 

When she hears movement in the distance, she freezes in place. The snapping of twigs and the rustling of foliage comes ever closer and, thinking on her feet, she rushes to hide behind a patch of bushes. 

Peeking out through the leaves, Dani doesn’t get a clear view of the approaching figure, save for the orange glow of a torch of some kind that they are carrying. The figure stops, waiting for a moment, then shifts their weight. 

“Alright, come on out,” comes a woman’s voice with a funny accent. She speaks gently, quietly, but with some seriousness underneath it all. Dani stays put exactly where she is. 

“You heard me. C’mon, I’m not gonna hurt you, okay? You’re perfectly safe.” 

Her voice is warm, comforting, even, but Dani is still unsure. 

“I can see you, y’know. I know a Sylph's glowin’ eyes anywhere.” 

Oh. 

Oh. 

Slowly, so slowly, Dani emerges. If she’s still crying, she can’t tell. Before her, a tall woman in a long coat and a wide-brimmed hat stands, holding a strange looking lantern. She appears imposing, but with one look at Dani, an air of soft sadness crosses her face. She doesn’t have orange eyes, Dani notices right away, and from what she can tell, her teeth are dull and small. 

“Oh, dear me,” she mutters. “You okay, there?”

Dani shakes her head, and the woman sighs, crouching down next to her. “Here, I can get you outta those cuffs,” she says, reaching a calloused hand out to her. Dani takes a deep breath and slowly holds out her sore, bound wrists. The woman takes them with a gentleness she was not expecting, even despite how nonthreatening she’d been acting this whole time. 

“I know this weird little screw doodad anywhere,” the woman says with sort of a wry smile, twisting a small knob and unhooking a couple of complex, rusted mechanisms until finally Dani’s wrists are free. She twists them around, hearing a few pops and cracks. 

“That’s better, hey?” The woman asks, and Dani simply nods. It does feel better, and she can feel the circulation coming back to the tips of her fingers. “Good. Now, I don’t believe I caught your name?”

Dani’s voice is dry and crackly with misuse, but she finally speaks. “Dani,” she mutters. 

“What’s that?”

“Dani.” 

“Dani. Well, there ya go.” The woman repeats. “How old are you, Dani?” 

“Sixteen.”

The woman nods with another heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Alright,” she says, standing up. “Well, Dani, I’m Mama, and I know of a place not too far from here for you to rest your head tonight. Ain’t no way I’m leavin’ you out here in the cold.” 

Dani doesn’t think twice; she stands, still moving slowly, and follows Mama as she expertly weaves through the trees on a narrow path that heads through the woods. It’s a bit of a downhill hike, but, finally, they exit the densely wooded area and arrive at the edge of the forest, where Dani is met with a very large, angular building made of wood. Sylvain’s architecture is very rounded and asymmetrical, so the straight lines and sharp corners of the building come as a shock. It looks kind, this place, and a soft yellow glow spills from the windows. Above the doorway, a sign hangs, swinging on its hinges, reading: Amnesty Lodge. Amnesty. She knows that word, meaning to grant pardon, and it gives her some small sense of comfort. 

Mama leads her up the short staircase, and with a firm hand on her shoulder, opens up the front door and enters what appears to be a lobby; there’s a receptionist's desk, cozy armchairs, some tables off to one side, and a blazing fireplace crackling away against the far wall. Instantly, a rush of warmth hits her, and it’s a welcome change from the cold outside.

“Welcome to the lodge, Dani,” Mama says. 

“Um,” Dani clears her throat. She keeps forgetting what her voice sounds like. “Thank you.”

There’s only one person in the lobby, a man in about his late twenties with his hair up in a bun. Like Mama, he doesn’t have bright orange eyes like hers, they’re dark brown. He sits in one of the armchairs by the fireplace, a book in his lap, which he looks up from when they enter.

“You’re back,” he says with a wave of his hand. 

“Evenin’, Barclay,” Mama greets him (with great familiarity, Dani notes). “Got a new friend here, this is Dani. Picked her up from the gate just now.” 

Barclay looks at Dani, and his face falls as if he’s just heard some horrible news. “Oh, kid, I’m so sorry,” he says. “I’ve been there.” 

Dani cocks her head to the side, taken aback by the idea that he means what she thinks he does. “You’re -?” 

“As Sylvan as they come.” Barclay says, and reaches down to remove a bracelet that Dani hadn’t noticed at first. When he does, before Dani can understand what’s happening, he transforms in a blink into a much taller, much hairier version of himself, with enormous humanoid hands and even larger feet. It startles Dani, but it’s all the proof that she needs, and she suddenly feels the tension in her shoulders relax a bit. Just being around another Sylph in this strange new world lifts her spirits, and she feels a weary smile tug at her lips, just barely. 

“Huh,” she muses quietly to herself.

Barclay puts the bracelet back on, and as quickly as it happened the first time, he transforms back into his human form. She’ll have to ask him how he did that later. Not now, though; she’s getting sleepier by the second.

“Do you need anything?” Barclay asks her, “Something to eat? Water?”

Dani sighs, “I’m… I’m okay. Maybe just a place to sleep for now, I guess.” 

Mama nods at that, and reaches behind the nearby receptionist’s desk and grabs a heavy looking key with a tag that reads Room 5 on it, and hands it to Dani. “You got it,” she says. “It’s late, ‘n it seems to me like you need some sleep.” 

With that, Barclay wishes her a good night’s sleep, and Dani is led up a flight of carpeted stairs, which end at a dimly lit hallway lined with doors. They walk until they reach the door with a shiny number five on it. Mama motions towards the lock on the doorknob. Slowly, Dani inserts the key to unlock it. Upon opening the door, she’s greeted with a cozy looking bedroom with a large window that overlooks a view of those same spiky trees. 

“All yours, for as long as you need,” Mama says. 

“Thank you,” Dani responds. 

Mama smiles at her. “I’ll leave you be. If you need anything, I’m right down the hall,” she tells her. Dani nods. “Night, Dani.” 

Dani looks up at her. “Good night,” she replies. 

With that, Mama exits the room, and Dani collapses on the large bed in the corner, feeling the telltale sting behind her eyes and the lump in her throat return. She tries her best not to cry loudly, but she weeps in her new room for what feels like hours. She weeps out of sadness and guilt, out of pain and anger, out of gratefulness that she has a place to stay; she feels almost every single emotion all at once, and it tires her out. She hardly realizes it when she starts to drift off to sleep, her tears drying on her face, and on the pillow where her head lays. Her pillow? That’s strange to think about. 

It’s hard to pin down exactly why, but even though she’s been in this new world for a solid hour or so, Dani doesn’t feel like she shouldn't be here. It’s not that she feels fully comfortable here yet, but she certainly isn't uncomfortable. Maybe things will turn out okay for her eventually, but, now, she just needs rest.

As the night goes on, it eventually starts to rain outside, and the gentle tapping of raindrops on the roof above her pull her into a deep, deep sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! hmu on tumblr @jolenethegreen and twitter @kingjetrocks <3


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